Defiance
by DeaSelene
Summary: Someone stumbles into the small town of Ipswich, but this time they're caught between the thin line of good and evil. What's worse is this person can't even remember their purpose for being there in the first place. Can the boys still save that lost soul?
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Covenant. The only thing I do own in this fiction is my original character and nothing else.

**Defiance**

**By: DeaSelene**

**Prolouge **

On a cold and starless evening, in a forest filled with sinister-looking trees and winding paths, danger was lurking about. In the very heart of the forest, someone was running. The figure ran hurriedly through the winding paths and the soft earth, not worrying about all the other dangerous things that lived there. Instead, that panic-stricken person had only one thing on their mind: to escape; escape from the clutches of something more troubling and more evil than those of which lived in the depths of the forest.

Through the woods ran the figure, with swift and silent steps, trying to ignore the pain that was already throbbing through it's legs… but the body can only take so much. The person ran a little further until a small pit that happened to be in the figure's path faltered their pace and sent that person tumbling towards a clump of bushes filled with razor-sharp thorns. But the runaway bit it's lip, trying hard to muffle their scream and carry on.

Eventually the person stood, taking staggering steps forward before breaking into a limp run. Soon enough, the comforting sounds of the nearby town were nearing and gave the person a small ray of hope. They might still have a chance at making it.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'd like to thank ChelsieMarie, melodie568, Niffer01 and CopperHikari for the kind reviews, You made my day. **

**Also, if you guys liked this fic, I suggest you check out "Coming for You" by me and a good friend of mine. It's a joint project between the both of us and it needs some love. We go under the name ourobsession. Hope you check that out as well, **

**Chapter 1**

-

The streets of Ipswich were always sort of busy during rush hour but when it came to late nights on weekends, only the kids who were out drinking and partying until one in the morning dominated them.

On this particular night, one group of young men were out. They had just come from one of the usual parties that they'd been invited to and were now on their way back to the comfort of their own homes. They had hitched a ride with one of their friends, and were now talking to pass the time.

Although it didn't look like it, these boys were special. These young students, (or Seniors to be more specific) were very close friends and had spent their childhood growing up together. They had first met on a bus trip to Camp Iwanahee in the summer, where their fathers had sent them to probably do just that. What seemed to be like a boring arts & crafts session, turned out to be a life-altering experience for the boys after all.

They were thirteen at the time, but unlike all the other kids their age; they were experiencing something… different. They had the strange ability to do whatever they pleased, whenever they pleased. They could levitate objects, and even themselves, with their eyes turning black as they did so.

This great power was "The Power" and it was passed on from generation to generation from their fathers and their fathers before them. Their ancestors had come to Ipswich during the 1600s hoping to hide from the raging witch-hunt that was on going at the time. They had sworn to a covenant of silence and forever kept their immense power a secret from the world. Because of this covenant, not only was "The Power" passed down to each generation, so was the brotherhood that it had created.

There were four of them: Caleb Danvers, Reid Garwin, Pouge Parry and Tyler Sims.

And ever since that day during summer, the boys (like their ancestors before them) have been nothing but close. They did everything together, partying, classes; they were even on the same swim team at Spenser Academy. There was never a time when one was without the other. And for them, their interesting history had gained them more popularity at Spenser; being bestowed the title of "The Sons Of Ipswich" by the students of the school.

"I just don't get why you **have** to make out with a different girl every week, Reid." Said a boy with dark-brown hair and crystal blue eyes as he drove. He was referring to his friend, who was sitting right next to him at the front and looking at him smugly. "You're just pissed 'cause you're not on the same level as I am." He replied coolly.

Reid was a blond-haired boy with hazel eyes, who proudly upheld his reputation for being a badass and loved nothing more than to show off his power. He was also the one most likely to cause trouble among the group and was closest to Tyler, the boy who sat beside him driving the car. Tyler smirked at his friend's proud comment and slightly shook his head in amusement. Reid was always so sure of himself and it amazed him how easy the girls he hit on were. It was a miracle that he hadn't run out of them yet.

"Why don't you give him a few pointers?" chimed in Pouge, a well-built boy whose dark-blonde hair grew all the way down to his shoulders, from the backseat. "Uh-oh." Warned another boy with black hair and handsome features. He was grinning at the two boys in the front seat, leaning on his left arm by the door. His name was Caleb. "What?" questioned Reid, raising his eyebrows. "You don't think I can teach the boy a few of my tricks?"

"It's not you teaching him is what's worrying me, it's the tricks." Caleb said flatly. "And whether or not they'll actually work." Reid gave a small chuckle of amusement. "You're right, baby boy here can't pull of my style." He reasoned, slapping Tyler on the back. "Whatever man –SHIT!" exclaimed Tyler as he hit something, veered off the silent street and drove the car to a screeching halt just in time before he could hit a large tree. "What the hell did you just hit back there?" asked Reid in a shocked tone.

Caleb was the first to get out of the vehicle and was soon followed by Tyler and the others. There, a few meters away from them was a girl who was covered in dirt and mud, lying lifeless on the dirt road. Tyler was the first to run towards her, absolutely horrified at what he had just done. "Oh God! Did I kill her?!" he said, on the verge of hysteria. "No wait, she seems to be moving." Caleb said from behind him.

The group came closer, Caleb and Tyler kneeling down to get a better look at their victim. To their relief, the girl's eyes fluttered open and looked around her. "I am so sorry!" Tyler blurted out, thinking of nothing else but to apologize to her. For a few seconds it seemed as if the girl couldn't speak but eventually she gave out a small groan and clutched her head. "Where am I?" she asked them, looking as if she had been through one hell of a time. "You're in Ipswich," Replied Caleb as he helped the girl sit up. "You came running across the street and got accidentally hit by our car…"

"What's your name?" asked Pouge, putting his hands on his knees. "I… I don't know…" she replied, a confused and horrified look spreading across her face.

-

"You can stay here for the night." Said Caleb as he stopped at a carved and ornate-looking door. They were at the Danvers Manor, and Caleb had offered to care for the girl for the night, just until they knew (and she knew) who she was. "Er- thank you…" the girls said meekly, going into the room. The room had walls made from Oakwood and a floor covered with plush carpeting. The girl walked further but stopped abruptly at the sight of her own reflection in the mirror. She looked horrible; she was covered from head to toe in mud with blood trickling down from her forehead and cuts and scrapes everywhere else. She was immediately overcome with a wave of embarrassment as she stood in front of the boy looking like she did. "It's okay." He said gently. "You can take a shower in here," he said, pointing towards another door that stood right across the comfortable looking bed. "There are fresh towels in there and you can change into some clean clothes. Just go ahead and take whatever you like from that drawer over there." She looked at him with grateful eyes, nodding thanks before going off to take a good long shower.

-

Caleb left the girl to clean up and walked down to the lounge, where Tyler, Pouge and Reid were waiting, Tyler looking the most anxious of them all. "I left her to clean up a bit." He announced to the room. "Well that's good…" Tyler said, more to himself than to the others. "You guys should go ahead, she'll stay here for the night until we can find out who she is and what she was doing in the middle of nowhere so late at night." Said Caleb, trying to sound like everything was under control. "Okay, sure." Said Reid, getting up from the lounge chair he was sitting on. "I'll come by in the morning to check on her." Piped up Tyler as he and the others were being ushered to the door by Caleb.

As the boys parted ways, only one thought crossed their minds:

_Who **is** this girl?_


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Again, you guys, thanks for the really kind reviews and I hope you check out "Coming For You" by ourobsession. And just to let you know, I've changed something within this chapter, nothing major, but I did add a new paragraph. Thanks for reading,

I want to thank Copper Hikari for such great reviews. You rock, man. \m/

-

It was a cold but bright morning and the sun was streaming through the windows of the Danvers Manor. All was silent that morning, except for one part of the lavish estate. In one room in which a girl was occupied, lying motionless and staring at the ceiling.

The girl groaned as she felt a throbbing pain in her head and back, recalling the events of last night. She knit her eyebrows together in concentration and heaved a big sigh before catching the sweet smell of blueberry pancakes wafting in the morning air. Her eyes moved around for a moment, observing the ceiling with great interest before going down a wall and catching sight of a delicious looking plate of pancakes with blueberries on top and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice laid out on a table at the foot of her bed.

She sat up, feeling the pain of her back once more. Suddenly, the girl heard a small grumbling noise and realized that it was her stomach. She couldn't remember a time when she was ever this hungry. In fact, she couldn't remember anything at all. She let her thoughts fade a way for a moment and stared at the plate of food. She felt too lazy to move. Not to mention the ache in her legs as she tried to move them. So there she sat, hungrily staring at the mouthwatering stack of pancakes, wishing more than ever that they could just float right to her.

After a few moments, she was shocked to see that the plate of food did just that. She stared at down at the plate that had just landed neatly on her bed. Did she do that? Again, her eyes began to wander through the room. It was beautiful: walls made of Oakwood, with rose carvings at each corner; a lovely Victorian vanity with drawers underneath; and her bed, so soft and warm.

She took one bite of her pancake, savoring the creamy and sweet taste and realizing just how hungry she really was. She took a couple more bites, consuming half of the pancake before continuing with her train of thought. She racked her brain for anything that would explain her being there but all she could remember was a faint light coming towards her and four boys crowding around her. She was deep in thought now, wondering what the hell she was doing there and why she had made the plate come towards her. She pursed her lips and focused on the glass of orange juice that was left on the table. In a few moments, the glass began to rise and coasted in mid air for a while before coming towards her like the plate did a while ago. "Huh." She said to no one in particular as she grabbed the glass and took a swig.

After a while, she had finished up her meal and placed them back on the table, choosing to put them back herself rather than to use her strange "power". As she stood, she noticed herself in a full-length mirror that stood right beside her bed. She came closer and took a good look at herself. For a few moments she inspected her whole body and noticed something silver hanging from her neck. She looked down and realized it was a necklace.

The necklace was cleverly molded to spell out a name: Sophia and had a small white diamond placed on top of the i. She ran her finger over the necklace and began to wonder: was that her name? Suddenly, a burst of memory came flashing through her head; like a small movie only she could see but before she could understand everything, it all disappeared as quickly as it came. Just then, there was a knock on the door. It made her stop and wait anxiously for the person on the other side to open it.

The door creaked open to reveal a dark haired boy who, in her opinion, looked very handsome. He was tall and had a small grin playing across his face. He seemed friendly enough. "Good, you're awake…" he said to her gently. She nodded, not knowing what to do. "Er… yeah, well, I guess you've eaten breakfast." He said slowly, noticing the empty plate and glass on the table. "It was a great one. Thank you." She said, finally speaking. He smiled at this and moved closer to her. "I'm glad you did." He looked intently at her, she looked way different than when she was all covered in mud. Now that he could see her properly, he noticed that she had dark, hazel colored hair with wavy curls and had an attractive face; one that showed someone with fire and spirit. Though she was beautiful, Caleb thought that she was not the type of person to cross. There was something about her that gave off a sort of powerful aura, but he didn't know why. His gaze then went down to a shiny piece of silver hanging from her neck. He squinted before holding out his hand and putting on a friendly face. "I'm Caleb." He began. "Caleb Danvers."

The girl took his hand and shook it, her apprehension dying down a bit. "I'm… Sophia…" she said to him, feeling a sense of familiarity with the name. "Sophia… er…" Caleb gave a small chuckle, though it made Sophia feel quite embarrassed. "It's okay." He told her, putting his hand in his pocket. "At least you were able to remember your first name."

Sophia gave a weak smile. Remembering her first name wasn't the only thing she wanted to recall. She needed to remember everything. "Actually, that's what's written on this necklace hanging from around my neck. So, I'm going with my hunch that this is it." She explained to him with a small chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I can't remember anything right now. It's like it's all… gone…" she stared at him for a moment, as if trying to recall something. His name was rather familiar to her but she just couldn't remember why.

"Don't worry, me and my friends will try and help you remember." He said, trying to comfort her. "How? What happened to me? Why am I here?" she questioned.

"Well, last night, you kind of ran in front of the car Tyler – that's my friend – was driving" Caleb began to explain, "and he tried to avoid you but you got hit. We found you lying on the ground all covered in mud and a couple of scratches everywhere." He paused, trying to see if she remembered. When he thought she did, he continued. "You're here because we took you here. This is my house and I let you clean up a bit and borrow some clothes. We couldn't leave you on the road like that, especially since it sounded like you didn't know who you were."

"You're right… Thanks for taking me in…" she said, her memories of last night becoming clearer. She was running from something or someone in the woods, she was escaping. She was going to do something really important that night but then…

"You alright?" Caleb asked, interrupting her thoughts

"Yeah, totally." She assured him. Again she thought, but this time she thought of maybe telling Caleb what she had just done a while ago with the plate but decided against it.

-

The front door to the manor opened as Tyler stepped in, his face still a bit pale from last night's events. "Caleb!" he said as he saw his good friend coming down the grand staircase. "Dude, is she alright? Is she alive?!" he asked, running his fingers through his hair. "Ty, calm down." He said to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to touch shoulders in greeting. "Well, YOU try calming down when you've just run someone over with a hummer." He said to him, eyes wide open. "Well the only thing that matters now is she's alive." He told him. "Well then, where is she?" he asked impatiently. "She's in her room. Wait in the living room while I get her." Caleb instructed. Tyler did just that and went directly to the living room, squirming nervously in a comfortable chair.

Not long after, Caleb came down to meet him, along with Sophia right behind him. "Sophia -" "Call me Sophie, Caleb." She cut in shyly. "Right, _Sophie_, this is Tyler. Tyler Sims." Caleb said, introducing his friend.

Tyler immediately stood, and shook her outstretched hand. "I am really, really sorry about accidentally hitting you. I – really – I didn't mean It." He explained, rather quickly. "It's okay," she reassured him. "I'm just a bit sore, but nothing too extreme."

"So why were you running? What were you doing?" he asked her, seeming to calm down a bit.

"Really, I don't know. No matter how hard I try, I can't remember a thing." She said to him.

"Well, don't worry, we're going to help you the best we can." Assured Caleb

"Yeah, we are." Chimed in Tyler.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey you, yes you, "Coming For You" by Ourobsession. Check it out. Thanks,**

"You sure you'll be okay?" said Caleb to Sophie through his mobile phone. Sophie was at the Spencer dorms, just outside her new room. It was a week after the accident and Mrs. Danvers had decided to enroll Sophie at Spencer Academy, seeing as she had no place to return to at the moment. "The girl still needs a good education." She told Caleb a few days ago and he agreed. But because of the Danvers' overwhelming kindness, Sophie had offered to move out of the Manor and into the dorms "so It wouldn't be such a hassle for the both of you." she told Caleb and his mother.

The both of them would have insisted that she stay with them, but Tyler jumped at the opportunity to be able to make up for the incident by volunteering to pay for the room expenses. Sophie accepted his offer but made him promise that he would let her pay for everything when she had the money.

"Yes, Caleb. For the 5th time, I'll be fine." She told him while dragging a box of stuff into her room. "Okay, but if you need anything, Tyler and Reid are just down the hallway and Sarah and Kate are around the corner." Sophie paused for a moment, taking time to catch her breath. "Who're Sarah and Kate?" she asked him, putting a hand on her hip. "You'll meet them tomorrow night when we go out to Nicky's" he explained. Sophie was about to ask what Nicky's exactly was when he started talking again. "Anyway, I gotta go. I'm on the road, doing a couple of errands for mother."

The both of them bid goodbye to each other before Sophie tossed her phone on her bare mattress and leaned on the door frame, mindlessly staring at the few boxes that were still outside. It took her about 3 minutes before she realized she was spacing out and snapped out of her trance-like state; then something hit her. She focused on one box (one she knew had things that wouldn't break) and tried to make it rise… but nothing happened. She blinked, befuddled by the situation. Why couldn't she do it now when she was able to do it last week?

Her eyebrows knit together like they always did when she thought and tried to remember what she had done to make those objects float into the air like that. She sighed to herself, and smiled; telling herself that it was just her imagination that made her believe that she could do such preposterous things.

"Hey," said a familiar voice from the other side of the hallway, snapping Sophie out of her reverie. She blinked and smiled, it was Tyler. "Hey, yourself." She replied, giving a small wave. "Hey." He said once more, looking around at the small boxes in the hallway. "So, everything alright over here?" she sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "No." she answered flatly, causing Tyler to give a small chuckle.

"Actually, I didn't know you were moving in today. I thought you would be moving in tomorrow. Caleb just called. He told me to check out how things were doing with you." He explained.

"He doesn't quit, does he?" she asked, giving an amused grin.

"Nope. Never. Especially with you… you know… considering what happened last week." He said, going a bit red.

"It's fine." She assured him, sensing his awkwardness. There was a small silence between them before Tyler lit up once more and said, "So, where do I start?"

"Start what?" she asked

"The boxes!" he exclaimed, pointing at her things still packed up in boxes. "Which boxes and where should I be putting them?"

"Well, you don't have to, you know." She said but secretly wished that he would insist and, as If to answer her thought he put a palm in front of her mouth and grinned. "No. No. No! I said I would help you, and that's what I'll do!"

He bent down and picked up two boxes from the floor, stacking them on top of one another and letting himself into her room. "Alright then, if you say so." She commented while watching him pick up one more box and going into her room to put it down. "Where do you want this?" he asked, his face covered by the box. "Put it anywhere!" she said, grabbing one light box and taking it inside.

After all her things were brought inside, Tyler had offered Sophie to go out for coffee at a local shop and show her around the campus afterwards. She agreed, having nothing better to do and not knowing anyone else.

-

"So that's the tour!" said Tyler, wearing a perky grin and wide eyes. The both of them had just come from the local coffee shop and were now walking around one of the many pathways on campus, still holding their cups of coffee. "What?" replied Sophie with a bemused look. Tyler chuckled and took a sip of his espresso before saying anything. "Yeah, well, there isn't really much around campus. 'Cept of course for the school itself, the dorms and the administrations office – which, I don't see why you would find that place interesting."

"Well then, what places would you think I would find interesting?" she asked, taking a sip of her own cup of coffee, which was warming her body despite the mild chilly weather surrounding them.

"Well," Tyler began, continuing down a path which led down to the parking lot and school auditorium. "Here in Ipswich we have 2 places we usually like to hang out at: The Dells – where we usually have our beginning-of-the-year parties and Nicky's – where you, me and the other guys are going tomorrow to celebrate Kate's birthday."

"Interesting…" she replied, trying to memorize the pathways she and Tyler had just taken.

After a few more minutes of walking around and talking, Tyler walked Sophie to her dorm and said goodbye, telling her to just come over to his dorm if ever she needed anything. She smiled at him and watched him walk down the hallway before disappearing behind her door and flopping down on her bare mattress.

She laid there on the bed, legs and arms sprawled out thinking hard on any memories she could manage to bring to the surface. She had progressed a little ever since that day she had gotten run over. For one thing, she had finally remembered her family name in time for registrations at Spencer. She also had a feeling that her memory had escaped her even before her close encounter with death. But even with that, she still felt confused and absentmindedly clutched at the silver necklace that was hanging from her neck.

She heaved a heavy sigh before standing up and looking out of the nearby window. She was going to like it at Spencer, she knew that for sure and even if she didn't get back all her memory, she was sure that she would always feel comfortable here.

Suddenly another flashback came surging through her like on that day at the Danvers Manor, only this time the sudden flash of memory made her fall to her knees.

The memory played clearly in her mind, and sent chills down her spine. It showed Sophie an image of her running through the woods, fearful of two men that were chasing her. And then as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Sophie gasped for air like the flashback had been one of those horrible nightmares she had just woken up from. She found herself kneeling on the wooden floor, her heart beating faster than normal and her face dripping with sweat.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The morning was cold and silent and the hallways of the Spencer dorms were as empty as ever. In each room only silence could be heard, with all their inhabitants still blissfully asleep and content with not having to deal with the real world. In each room, all pairs of eyes were shut – except for one.

Sophie lay wide-awake in her bed, staring pensively at the ceiling. She was silent the whole time, the thoughts of yesterday's events still fresh on her mind. It was still too early to be up, she knew that. So she continued to lie there until she felt like moving.

She involuntarily reached up to her neck where her necklace rested and began to feel through the curves and twists that the cold piece of silver featured. She didn't know why, but she felt comfort in it and it seemed to help her relax.

She continued to fiddle with her necklace while her mind slowly drifted deep into her memories and once again she began to see that exact moment when she was running in the forest. She recalled being scared for some reason and running as if her life depended on it. She didn't stop for anything, not even when her body began to protest the pain she was feeling. All she knew was that she had to escape before someone could catch her.

After a few moments, she decided to put her thoughts on hold and get ready for her first day. She lazily got up from bed and did her morning rituals before dressing into her new school uniform.

As she finished off adjusting her necktie, someone had knocked softly on her door. She walked to it, wondering who would be up this early on a Friday morning. As she opened it though, she found Tyler all dressed in his uniform and smiling at her. "Hey" he said to her with a sheepish grin. "Er- hey!" came Sophie's surprised reply. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to grab breakfast with me before your first day of class, seeing as how you don't really know the campus just yet… Unless you memorized everything I showed you yesterday. That would be totally amazing." He blurted out, trying to sound as calm as he could but failing miserably. Sophie smiled at him and considered his offer for a moment. She had planned to walk around campus for a while and skip breakfast that morning. She looked at him for a moment and considered his offer; she _was_ feeling a bit hungry. "Okay, sure!" she said to him, "just let me get my bag and we can go."

She reached behind her door and grabbed the red backpack she had bought with the money Mrs. Danvers had given to her to buy the things that she needed. She heaved the bag on her shoulder and locked her room before heading downstairs with Tyler for breakfast.

-

For someone who's just transferred into a new school, walking down an unfamiliar hallway with unfamiliar people can be very stressful. People whom you know are very different from you tend to stare without shame and let out the occasional whisper to the person beside them. All the attention you attract can either make you or break you.

For Sophie, all that pressure and attention was twice as stressful for her as she walked down the hallways of the academy with the four most popular boys in the entire school walking coolly alongside her. "I wonder what she did to get them wrapped around her finger so fast like that." She heard a tall blond whisper to her vicious looking, raven-haired friend as they passed. "I bet she's a real slut." Her friend replied bluntly, making Sophie double-back and steal a glance. The comment had sparked a fire in her but she quickly shrugged it off once the boys had paused abruptly to see where their friend had gone off to. "Sorry." She said to them, quickening her pace and taking long strides to catch up. "You have to forgive some of the people here at Spencer. Ipswich is a small town and Spencer is a small academy. New faces definitely spark some interest with the students here." Caleb assured her while giving a sympathetic look. "You've got English with us during first period, so I guess you'll have no trouble with being late."

The bell signaling the beginning of the first class had just rung shortly after Caleb's words, herding the group as well as everyone else out of the hallway and into the classrooms. For the rest of the day, it continued on like every other day at Spencer; with classes coming and going along. Sophie however had noticed that whatever class she took, she would always find the presence of one or two of her new friends. She couldn't escape them. She made a mental note to ask Caleb or Tyler later on.

-

P.E. was the very last period for the day and everyone who had wanted to avoid the actual class had signed up for the swim, basketball, track or football team as an alternative. She didn't know whether or not she could swim but instinct told her she was not supposed to be there.

Sophie met up with the boys once again, this time each of them were in swim gear. As they approached her, she began to blush and look away. She was fully aware that her new friends were half naked and tried to muster all the concentration she could on keeping her eyes on their faces. Once or twice she caught herself sneaking a glace at their well managed bodies and lingering there but she manage to avert them somewhere else just in time.

"Alright, stupid question, but can you remember how to swim?" Pouge asked with a look of doubt on his face. "Or even if you ever swam at all?" Reid continued. Immediately she felt her insides plunge to the very bottom of her body. She had no clue whatsoever.

"Yyyyeeeaaahhh…" Reid said slowly, analyzing her with his eyes. "I'm takin' that as a 'No'"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but it wouldn't hurt to try." She mentioned, trying to sound sure but was feeling unconvinced herself. "You sure you want to risk it?" Tyler asked her, resting a hand on her shoulder. She gave a small nod in his direction.

The coach sounded his whistle and the people began to move; the girls all headed to the left side and the boys to the right. "The coach separates the boys' and girls' teams, just so you know." whispered Tyler as he slowly walked away from her. She gave him an appreciative smile before following suit and walking towards the left side.

She found out that, even with all the girls gathered there, she was left alone and singled out while everyone else clung to a clique member or two. She forgot the thought when she reasoned that she was still very new. Instead of worrying, she moved closer to the cluster.

Once the coach had finished speaking, everyone broke away and began warming up.

Sophie got down on the ground and began to stretch out her feet and reach for her toes. All seemed to be going well until her hands ran into someone's ankle. She looked up from where she sat, only to find the raven-haired girl from that morning to be standing before her. Two girls stood right behind her, wearing the same snotty look on their faces. "Caaan I help you with something?" she asked, still not bothering to get up. The girl simply rolled her eyes and looked down on her. "Yeah, maybe." With that Sophie began to rise, already sensing that something was up. "So you're the new girl, huh?" she questioned rather haughtily.

"Yeah, I'm Sophie." She said and held out her hand for the girl to shake.

"Madison." She replied, giving a sarcastic smile instead of shaking her hand.

"It's funny."

"What is?"

"You. Mid-year transfer students don't usually attach themselves to the Sons of Ipswich on their first day. Kind of clingy, don't you think?" Who the Sons of Ipswich were, Sophie didn't really know but she assumed that she had been talking about Caleb and the others.

Madison raised a brow and continued, not waiting for a reply. "Or maybe desperate. I don't know. I can't really tell."

"Can't she be both?" "She does look like both." The two girls from behind her commented. One Sophie recognized as the blond from that morning and the other, a brunette whom she hadn't been familiar with. Those words really began to rile her up.

"Would you cool it with the claws already?" she spat out, much to the surprise of Madison and her lackeys. "Caleb, Tyler, Reid and Pouge – If that's who you're yapping on about – are my friends. I've met them before I came to Spencer, Okay? God, what is it with you?" and with that, the girls heard the coach's ear-splitting whistle blow. "Alright, ladies first! Manning, Jennings, Parker, Lee, freestyle!"

The two girls who had been behind Madison turned and made their way towards the diving boards without a second glance, leaving Madison alone with Sophie. "So they're your _friends_, huh?" she said while circling her like a vulture would its prey. "Well then I guess it'll be a bit easier for you to watch your back around campus… See you around." And she backed away. Sophia glanced behind her with a glare before turning her attention to the four girls who were now speeding across the water.

It took only a matter of seconds before the red-headed girl came out victorious. She received cheers and claps as she got out and toweled off. Sophie was about to walk over to the winner when suddenly she felt something violently shove her into the chlorinated waters.

An "oops." From Madison was all she had heard before plunging into the water.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Blue.

That was the only thing she managed to see. She was neither sitting nor standing; just cradled there by liquid sapphires in empty space. It was silent where she was, except for very faint and muffled voices from above. She tried to open her eyes once more but that only caused them to sting.

She was slipping away; each breath becoming shorter and harder to manage. Then the ethereal blue slowly faded away into a swell of inky black silence.

-

Whispers were the next thing she had heard. They were quick and ever so silent, as if not wanting to be heard. She realized she was leaning against a cold stone wall. Her adrenaline began pumping but her breaths were silent.

Her feet inched closer to the voices, which were now a bit raised and angry. She peeked around the corner and noticed a faint glow of gold streaming through a doorframe. Then the voices came to a halt.

Her eyes widened and she ceased all efforts to breathe. Had she done something to give herself away? Fear started its way up her spine but to her relief, the voices continued.

"That book must be returned to me. It is mine, rightfully."

"My Lord, it's heavily guarded by other forces."

"But it's MINE! And I will stop at nothing to get it back."

"But they've hidden it somewhere. I'm afraid Malcolm has failed to locate it."

Malcolm? Wasn't that one of her father's messengers?

"And they're stronger than we thought, sire. Their powers are greater than we imagined."

"And you think mine are inferior?"

"Not at all, sire."

"…I'm beginning to doubt where your loyalties lie, Zahi."

And she froze at the mention of his name. What business did he have here?

"I assure you, my lord, that my loyalties lie with you."

"It better be."

A small silence was followed after the exchange but this time, she heard a small rustling of papers in the room.

"These are the names of the four warlocks I want you to retrieve the book from. They all reside in Ipswich. Do whatever you must to get the book back into my hands."

"What about them, my lord?"

"Don't be stupid, Zahi. kill them, if you must. After all, they're merely young men. How hard is it to take care of high school boys? I'm sure it'll be easy to get rid of them."

"Of course, Master Corwin."

And with that, a gasp escaped her lips a little too loudly. No, It couldn't be true. She inched closer to the door frame and felt her heart plummet to the ground. There stood before her was her father, Constantine Corwin, the man she had hated all her life and Zahi, the boy she had once thought of as more than a friend.

Both men turned their heads towards the door frame and caught a glimpse at the girl who had been eavesdropping. For a moment their eyes met and then she ran, wide-eyed and fearing for her life as well as for those warlocks whom her father had planned to murder. She had to warn them. Time was running out fast.

Her legs had sent her running out of the mansion fast, her hair flying wildly everywhere. Suddenly, she felt something heavy press into her chest and stop her from breathing. She gasped for air but failed to attain any oxygen into her system. She coughed, trying to clear her pathways but was surprised to find water spewing out of her mouth.

-

"1, 2, 3-" Tyler breathed out as he thrust both his palms against Sophie's chest. He had been at it for 2 minutes now and was beginning to worry. A small crowd had formed around the both of them with Pouge, Reid and Caleb in the very center with Tyler. To much of their relief Sophie coughed and spat out the water that was clogging up her system.

"Good job, Sims. Now everyone, back off! Give her some air, and Madison Sinclair? I want to see you after class." The coach barked while shooing off the other students. Sophie let out a small groan. Her head was hurting like hell. When she opened her eyes, she found the boys looking down on her with hopeful faces.

"Sophie!" Reid called out, snapping his fingers in front of her. "I guess the girl can't swim after all."

"I hope you didn't lose your memory again," said Caleb.

"Yeah, Sophie, can you remember who you are? What your name is? Why you're here?" asked Reid, half-joking and half-serious.

"Quick Sophie, what's your name?"

"Sophie, idiot. What else?" She replied, still on the ground.

"Full name?" asked Caleb

"Sophia Corwin."

"Good. Now how many fingers am I holding up?" continued Reid.

"4, now would you back off?"

"Hey, just making sure!" he mentioned, backing away with both hands in the air.

Tyler had helped her sit up.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Madison McBitch Sinclair shoved you into the pool. Saw everything." Reid explained.

"We're not even going to ask what you did. She's like that with every girl who hangs around us. She even did that to Kate and Sarah." said Pouge.

"That's what you should expect with girls who hang with Kira." said Tyler.

"She's like this really annoying Chihuahua-slash-body guard." said Pouge "She won't leave us alone."

"God love her." Reid added with a sarcastic smile. All four boys chuckled. Sophie gave a small smile and rubbed her temples.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Tyler.

"Well that's the question of the century."

"Shut up, Reid." He warned. "Look, practice'll be over soon. I'll give you a ride to the dorms, okay?"

"Thank you, Tyler."

He led her to the stands and handed her a towel while the others went back to where they had been sitting. "I guess I really can't swim after all." She joked.

"You could always go back to regular P.E. classes.

"Yeah, there's that."

For a moment Sophie recalled the scene that had been playing through her mind while she was unconscious. It seemed so real. Was it just a dream? If it was, why did it feel too familiar?

"Hey, what's on your mind?" Tyler asked, breaking her reverie.

"Tyler?" she began, wanting to tell him what had been on her mind.

"Yeah?"

She thought about her words for a moment but then decided against it. He would have just thought of her as crazy if she told him.

"Nothing. I just wanna say thank you for saving my life a while ago."

He smiled at her.

"It's cool. I'll see you later, okay? Rest up."


	7. Chapter 6

She sat within the comforts of the library walls, deciding whether or not to tell Caleb and the rest of her suspicions. She had wanted to confide in someone for a long time now. If only she would be taken seriously. Constantly, scenes of them laughing at her would play in her mind. After all, what she would be telling them something that would sound utterly crazy.

Caleb would just say that what she was seeing were only due to the side effects of being run over by a hummer. Reid would just crack a joke about her "being one sandwich short of a picnic" and "needing a visit to the nut house". But deep inside she knew her flashes of memory were real. She could feel the familiarity in them, like they really had happened to her.

"Hey, something wrong?" it was Sarah who had spoken, snapping her out of her deep thought. The both of them had met during the night of Kate's birthday. All of them had gone to Nicky's as planned. Sophie had caught up later, along with Tyler, after having almost drowned earlier that day.

"It's nothing." She replied, shaking her head.

"Yeah? It's just that, you seemed kind of out of it." Sarah set down her books on the table and sat across her.

"Yeah, I get like that sometimes when I'm thinking."

"Well it must be pretty huge if you had your face all scrunched up like that." Silence followed afterwards, with both of them getting back to their homework and research. After a while though, Sophie had spoken up once more.

"Hey Sarah?"

"Mmmhm?"

"Who are the 'Sons of Ipswich?'" she asked, thinking back on what Madison had said to her. Sarah immediately stopped writing and looked up at her.

"Are they -"

"A boy band? Nope." And both of them laughed.

"I was thinking more of a secret society or something like that but yeah, I guess that could be and option." Sarah chuckled but then became more serious.

"Actually, no." she began. "The 'Sons of Ipswich' are none other than Caleb, Pouge, Reid and Tyler." She paused, as if considering telling her more but Sophie coaxed her on. "They say that the boys are the descendants of the original five families that came to Ipswich some time back in the 1600s."

"So like, 2 of them are cousins or something?" Sophie asked, slightly confused.

"What? No! What gave you that idea?"

"Well you said five families. I was just thinking that along the way, two of the original five had gotten married or something and merged families."

"Hardly the reason. Kate told me that the fifth one was killed, actually hanged according to my research, during the Salem witch trials."

"So you actually read up on them?"

"Yeah, it seemed interesting at the time."

"And you think it isn't now?" she asked her with a scoff. "You were doing a background check on Caleb Danvers."

"I still do! But eventually it gets old. What, you think I would start screaming 'conspiracy' or 'witch!' when Caleb's my boyfriend?"

"Well, no…"

"Look, I was just as curious as you are now when I landed here. Hitting the books cleared a bit up though, if you really wanna know. But I'm telling you, it's just a bunch of history. You can even ask the guys about it, they'll tell you the same." She stood up to leave, gathering her things and placing them back in her bag. She bid Sophie goodbye and headed out the door.

Just then, Tyler had strolled in with a bright smile on his face. "Hey, great! You're here!"

"Hey Tyler, whatsup?" she asked him, returning a smile.

"Actually I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yup. I was going to ask you something." He became more serious and leaned in closer, signaling her to do the same, shyly. "Erm… ah… Reid just wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go out on a date with him." He burst out.

She leaned back in complete shock, "What?! No way! Tell him to grow some balls and ask me himself."

"Yyyyeahhh, I would, but genius over here ruined the whole thing by telling you." came another voice from behind her. It was Reid and he was wearing his signature smirk. She looked curiously at him, wondering how he had managed to get behind her without her noticing. It's like he had just come out of thin air. "Actually, the little runt was just going to check if you had any plans for this week and let me handle the real work."

He turned to Tyler and eyed him threateningly. "See, this is why you can't get any real dates. You just suck at it."

"Shut up!" he retorted.

"Well what if told you that I didn't want to go out with you? What if I wanted to go out with Tyler, instead?" The words had come out before she had even managed to process it entirely.

"Yeah! What if she – wait, what?"

"Yeah, what?" Reid repeated.

She looked back and forth between the two dumb-stricken boys. They looked at her questioningly. She was just as shocked as they were. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the words that would come out of her mouth.

"You heard me!" she said, finally regaining her composure. They looked at one another for a brief moment. Reid stared at Sophie. Sophie stared at Tyler. Tyler looked at Sophie with an equally surprised stare and closed his mouth as soon as he realized that it had been hanging open.

"So… That's a… no…?" Reid finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. He arched an eyebrow and leaned on his knuckles.

"Yes, that's a NO."

"So, no coffee then?"

"No. No coffee, Reid. Now would the both of you go? I have a Latin test coming up and I don't want to flunk." She lied. There was no test and she wasn't flunking Latin. She was just trying to find an excuse to get rid of both of them before things got really ugly.

Reid rolled his eyes and walked lamely out of the library, but not before grabbing Tyler by the shoulder and dragging him out with him. "Bye, Soph." Tyler said quietly. He walked backwards all the way. His face still showing signs of shock but this time, it held a hint of amusement.

-

Sophie needed a job, badly. She was never going to be able to repay Caleb and Tyler if she didn't get one soon. So, Saturday morning, she got up bright and early and quietly snuck out of the dorms. It took her some time before she was able to find her way into town for the streets had been unfamiliar to her. Luckily, she had gotten breakfast at the nearby café Tyler had taken her to a few days ago before starting on her job hunt.

She walked around town for what seemed like an hour before finally coming across a small Chinese restaurant displaying a 'Waitress Wanted' sign on the glass window. She really had no idea if she had ever worked a day in her life or not, but she was desperate and was more than willing to give it a try.

The restaurant was small, with fading red wallpaper plastered all over the walls and red carpeting covering the floor. After a short interview with the owner – an old balding Asian man who wore thick glasses - she was asked to go around the restaurant and take orders from the customers. The man instructed her to say a small greeting in Chinese before handing them the menu and taking their orders. After a brief lesson in Chinese, Sophie was sent on her way.

It didn't take long before she found herself being screamed at by the old man. She had offended a Chinese couple by screwing up the greeting and accidentally insulting calling the girl 'butt ugly' instead. The owner looked extremely angry with her. His face had gone completely crimson and was yelling at her in Chinese. Even though she couldn't understand, she knew what he was saying was something bad. She was pretty sure she was now fired, even though she hadn't really gotten the job yet.

After being chased out of the restaurant, she walked over to a diner not far from the restaurant for lunch. She bit down hard on the chili dog she had ordered from the counter. She was really hungry. She managed to scarf down half of her chili dog when she caught sight of a shop across the street also looking for help. She chomped away at the remaining half of her meal and wiped away the chili that had been dribbling down the corner of her mouth before hurriedly stepping out of the diner and making her way towards the shop.

The building had looked aged and worn. Modern-looking windows that amounted to half her height were set three in a row for every level of the building. She peeked through the storefront window.

The sign, which stood atop of the entrance, looked as old as the building and read 'nouveau'.

Inside, the shop looked very different. The walls were coated with a warm peach color, with quaint-looking lamps attached to it. The light from the lamps made the room look even cozier. Antique bookshelves filled the empty space along the walls. Comfortable leather chairs were also set up in different areas of the room. Sophie walked towards the counter and inspected the items displayed. She found an assortment of delicious looking pastries; from cookies to muffins and brownies and cake. "Hey! Can I help you with something?" came a friendly voice from behind the cash register. Sophie looked up at her shyly. "Uh, yeah, I was hoping to get a job here?" She grabbed the plastic sign hanging on a hook on situated on the counter top and held it up in front of the girl. "Oh, perfect!" said the girl, clasping her hands together in a perky manner. Sophie silently prayed that she wouldn't screw this one up.

"Follow me! Come on, sit down!" said the girl, her long, wavy, dark-brown hair bouncing off her shoulders. "I'm Sandra, by the way. I'm the owner and as you can see, I'm a little short-handed right now." Sandra led Sophie towards an area that had a fireplace and sat down.

"So, have you had any experience with waitressing before?"

She considered her answer for a moment. She _did_ manage to get a _little_ experience waiting tables at that Chinese restaurant earlier this morning. That is, until she insulted someone and got fired.

"Yeah, I have."

"Good. Good. Ever worked with espresso machines before?"

"Not that I can say."

"What about books? Do you like to read?"

"Oh yes! I love to read." She answered. The interview went on like that for some time, with Sandra asking small questions and Sophie answering them. "Well, looks like everything's in order. You're hired!" Sandra told her after the interview.

"Great! When can I start?"

"Monday night maybe? From six to ten?"

Sophie agreed and bid Sandra goodbye. She took one last look around the café before making her way out the door and figuring her way back to the dorms.

**Well, there you go! I hope this chapter didn't suck too much. I've been out of it lately. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get my skills back. **

**I hope you all review!!! God knows I need help and advice. **

**Also, I hope you check out my new Covenant fiction entitled: The Keeper and The Key. Don't let the first chapter fool you. It gets better, I promise. **

**Lastly, "Coming for You" by ourobsession needs a little love too! I co-wrote it with my friend. **

**--DeaSelene**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The flames that burned the torches in the basement cast an eerie golden glow. The stone walls were cold, rough and bare, except of course for the occasional tapestry that would be draped over a portion.

Footsteps broke the unnatural silence of the corridor. A young man emerged from the stairway and entered through a large wooden door. Upon entering, he bowed slightly. "Master Corwin,"

There, by the flickering fireplace sat an older man with graying hair. "Have you found her?" he asked, calmly. The boy paused for a moment. "No, sire. I haven't."

"Well then, what's taking you?" Constantine asked as he stood to face his servant.

"She's managed to keep a low profile within the town." He explained, already tensing. "I'm sure she hasn't gone far. I was able to erase her memories when I caught up to her that night."

"You had her in your grasp and yet managed to have her slip away from you so easily, Zahi?" his voice was rising, as was his temper. He stepped closer to his servant and eyed him.

"My deepest apologies sire." He gave a slight bow once again. "But I'm sure I'll be able to capture her in time. Ipswich is an unfamiliar place to her."

"Good. You better because I have new plans for you."

"Yes?"

"Instead of bringing her back, I want you to kill my daughter."

Zahi drew a sharp intake of breath.

"There isn't any problem, is there?" Constantine questioned while returning to his seat.

"None sire. As you wish."

-

Sophia ran for her life in the darkness, dodging bushes and trees that got in her way. She wasn't out of the woods just yet. Someone was still trying to catch up to her. She ran along the paths before abruptly diving into one of the heavy clumps of bushes to her right. Once sure that she couldn't be seen, she crawled quickly through the thorns and twigs and arrived at a small stream.

She knelt beside the stream and splashed her face with the fresh water. What had Zahi been doing in the dungeons? Just then, she heard a twig snap and she whirled around to find Zahi staring at her.

"Sophia, I-"

"Stay away from me!" she warned, getting up and preparing for a fight.

"It's alright, Sophia. I won't harm you!" he assured her.

"Then what have you been doing with my father?" she asked, alerted. "Why are you working for him? Who were those people he wanted you to kill?"

He came closer to her and kissed her lips passionately. She closed her eyes and tasted his sweet lips before violently pushing him away. "I thought that's what you wanted." He said, inching closer to her but she pushed him away again. "You still haven't answered my questions. What was that book he kept talking about? Who are those people he wanted to murder?"

Zahi sighed and looked at her.

"That book he kept talking about was a book that contained important spells and curses."

"So? Isn't it like any other book in the library?"

"No. Those spells were created to kill your father. Strip him of his immortality."

"I still don't see why this concerns you"

"You don't get it. Once The Covenant finally decides to destroy your father, he'd be gone for good."

"Then good riddance."

"You still don't understand. You're still bound to him."

"Just until I turn eighteen."

"When will that be? October, correct?"

"yes."

"That's still an awful long way. Just enough time for your father's enemies to catch up to him."

"Then by all means, let them."

"What's the matter with you, Sophia!? Can't you see that I'm doing this to keep you from dying along with him?" Zahi burst out and gripped her shoulders. She fell silent from the shock. "If he dies, you die. And I just can't have that. I won't stand for it. That's why I'm working for your father."

Sophia's eyes shot open in the middle of the night. She had been having another one of those dreams of hers again. She sat upright in her bed and passed her hands over her face. It didn't make any sense. Maybe the mixed scents of potpourri and coffee from Nouveau had gone to her head.

-

The crowd cheered on as both Reid and Tyler cut through the water with amazing speed. They were up to their usual friendly competition in the pool again. Caleb and Pouge were leaning against the wall, awaiting the obvious winner. They clapped their congratulations as a hand shot up into the air, followed by a blond head. "Congratulations, Reid. 5th time in a row." Caleb said, towering over him at the edge of the pool. "You know it!" he replied, ruffling Tyler's wet hair as they got out of the pool.

"You gotta step up your game, Baby Boy, 'cause I'm starting to get bored."

"You're forgetting that I **have** beaten you at something." Tyler grinned.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked

"One word. Sophia." He said, and his grin widened even more.

"Woah, what's this I hear about Tyler stealing a woman away from Reid, here?" Pouge asked with great interest.

"Yup. You heard right." Tyler beamed.

"So, what happened?" Pouge asked.

"Reid wanted me to ask Sophia if she was free this week so that he could ask her out but then I took the opportunity to ask her for him and she ended up saying that she liked me over Mr. 'ladies-man' here."

"ooh, shot down!"

"Shut up, Pouge!" Reid glared.

"Simply speaking the truth, my man." He stated. "I never thought you had it in you, Tyler. Nice one. So, when's the big date?"

He waited patiently for an answer but it seemed like Tyler had no plans of announcing it any time soon. Tyler's wide grin shrunk and he chuckled nervously. "uhm.."

"You haven't asked you out yet, have you Ty?" Caleb said.

"…er… not exactly."

"Well that's a shocker." Reid said with a triumphant smirk.

"You're crazy, man! Why didn't you ask her out?" Pouge asked.

"Well I would but she never seems to be around after school. She's not even in her room."

"Well then ask her during school. I mean, you do have a couple of classes with her." Caleb said, feeling like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was.

-

Spiraling guitar riffs filled the background at Nicky's that evening. The place was packed, as usual and the boys were seated close to the pool tables with Sarah, Kate and Sophia. Tyler had endured ticklish nudges in the ribs and embarrassing smirks from the other guys for most of the time they were there. It made Kate and Sarah give him half-questioning, half-amused looks which in turn sent Pouge, Caleb and Reid in small fits of chuckles. Sophia, however, was oblivious to the whole scene. Something was on her mind. She needed to think.

"Hey, hey!" Kate called out to her, snapping her fingers while doing so. "Where've you been, Soph? You've been spacing out ever since we got here."

"Sorry, tough day. Homework and stuff." She lied.

"Could you forget that for like, one second? It's a weekend. No school."

"Sorry. You know me."

"Apparently better than yourself to know that you need a break; Maybe a date or something?"

At that, the boys once again launched into stifled chuckles and Tyler started turning hopelessly red. "Oh, shut _up_, you guys. Not funny." Sophia scolded, still clueless. "Besides, a guy isn't the answer to _everything_, Kate."

"Of course it is." She said, taking a sip of her soda. Sophia merely rolled her eyes.

"What Kate probably means is that maybe you should think of other stuff that school. You know something fun for a change." Sarah explained

"Are you calling me a busy-body?"

"Well…"

"Ugh, I cannot believe the two of you. Have you been conspiring against me?"

"Of course not. It was just a thought, anyway." Sarah replied too quickly.

Meanwhile, Pouge had just been nudging Tyler's ribs for the past five minutes now. It was getting annoying. "What is it, Pouge?" Tyler hissed through gritted teeth.

"Ask her out now, Baby Boy, while you still have a chance." He whispered, leaning over so that no one could hear them. "Do it! Now" he nudged even harder.

"Ow – Alright! Alright, already! I will!"

"Now!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

But before Tyler could even open his mouth to ask, Sophia began to rise from her seat. "I'm just going to get some air. The music's kind of getting to me." She announced.

"Sure. Ow! I mean, er – Need some company?" Tyler offered after being poked once more by Pouge, quite painfully this time.

"Well, I won't take long. So, I think I can do this myself. I'm a big girl, Ty. Don't worry." She grinned, beginning to walk away. Tyler sank even deeper into his seat, his face flaming red. Damn.

When the coast was clear, Kate looked at Tyler mischievously. "So you like Sophia, huh Ty?"

Immediately, Tyler felt like a huge spotlight was suddenly shinning down on him.

-

Outside Nicky's, the air was cold and the night sky, starless. Sophia observed the moon and its fluorescent glow. So she finally knew why she had run away. It was because of her father and because of Zahi's betrayal. As much as she wanted to trust him, she couldn't now. He wasn't able to convince her.

"Sophia."

She heard it loud and clear. Someone had called out to her, but it was more of a whisper than a call. The hissing made her turn. "Hello?" she asked, but no one answered. Satisfied that it was her imagination playing tricks on her, she turned back to look at the moon,; but when then she was met by a boy, around her age with dark hair and eerie, electrical blue eyes. She gave a small jump and a startled cry slipped out of her lips.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The boy said calmly. "I was just going to ask you for directions. I'm new here in town and kind of lost."

Sophia tensed. He was new alright, but he was no stranger to her.

"Zahi." She said in an accusing tone.

Suddenly, the boy's friendly composure turned into a menacing one. "So, I see you remember, Sophia."

His eyes began absorbing every inch of her body and she automatically became very self-conscious.

"But how much?" he asked, after he was through.

The Zahi from her memories seemed warmer than the one standing before her. This one seemed, cold and evil.

"I remember your explanation from the evening I ran away." She stated, her head held up high.

Without warning, Zahi grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank God it's you."

"Of course it's me, who else would it be?" she asked, not being able to move.

"I'm sorry." He said as he released her from his hold. "It's just that, your father's men are after me, too. I just thought they were setting me up for a trap by disguising one of them to look like you."

"Well, it's me alright, now goodbye." She spat, beginning to make her way back into the bar, but he stopped her. "Look, I know that ever since you got your memories back, you don't trust me but you have to hear me out."

"Why should I? What are you doing here anyway? What do you want?" she said, trying to break free.

"You must help me put a stop to your father. You have to come with me and destroy him."

"Can't you do that yourself?"

"He's too powerful for just me to take on. I need you, as well. You are, after all, his daughter. With you on my side, he'd be gone for good." He told her, taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes. He looked genuine. For a brief moment, Sophia held on to him and entertained the thoughts of her defeating her father with him by her side. She looked at him hopefully but then her light hearted expression turned into a scowl. "What do you really want, Zahi?" she asked, still holding on to him.

"What do you mean? I already told you." He looked confused.

"I'm not an idiot, Zahi. You of all people should know that." She wriggled her hands free. "If my father dies, I die with him. If I kill him, it would be like suicide."

She stared intently at him, trying to get a read on what he truly wanted from her.

"Besides, I don't have any powers." She blurted out.

"I suppose I did underestimate your memory." His warm, caring expression was now gone. "So, you caught me, Sophia. Good show."

"And you're still evading my questions, as usual." She stood her ground. "So I assume that you're still working for my father."

"Yes."

"And he sent you to come after me."

"Well, if you already knew my reason for being here, then why did you even bother to ask?"

"Because I had somehow hoped you would be different." She spat out and turned to leave. "Well, I'm not giving myself up without a fight."

"I thought so." He called out from behind her and with a swift wave of his hand; he sent her flying towards the brick wall. Sophia let out a pained cry.

He sauntered closer to her and pinned her to the wall. She squirmed in place, trying to somehow escape but to no avail. "Shhh…" Zahi said quietly. "The easier you make it for me, the quicker this will all be. Then you'll be safe; nicely tucked and warm in your own bed."

Immediately, Sophia felt her body tighten and something gripped her even tighter. Then, she felt something slither into her mind with a surprising speed.

"You did something to me that night after you let me go, didn't you?" she said through labored breaths. She was beginning to feel weak.

"Smart girl." He said, "Now quiet, my love."

He pressed deeper into her mind but then abruptly stopped and released his hold on her. She fell with a loud thud to the ground. She looked at him. He seemed taken aback. She took this opportunity to stand, but her feet wobbled under her weight. She made a run for it but was quickly captured once more. He lunged himself at her.

"Don't!" she screamed and held out her hand. To her surprise, he flew back against the dumpster with a loud crash. Did she do that?

She observed her hands in awe but then saw that he was quickly coming to his senses. She was trapped. He had managed to fling her into the alleyway that led to the back of the bar.

She looked around her and saw that forward was the only direction to take. She ran for it, hoping Zahi would still be too weak to come after her. She was wrong. He pointed a finger at her and pinned her to the wall hard.

"You've become sloppy." He told her mockingly. He came closer once more and dug his fingers into her arms. He leaned over and smelled her hair. "I am going to miss those days we had."

She squirmed helplessly under his grip while enduring the skin-crawling way he rubbed his cheek against her face. "Get away from me, asshole." She managed to say before he slapped her hard with the back of his hand. "Now, now, that's no way to talk to your boyfriend."

"What boyfriend? My boyfriend's _dead_."

She braced herself for an even harder punishment but received no such thing. She heard a loud crashing noise and glass breaking at the end of the alleyway. When she opened her eyes, she found Tyler running up to her with a worried look on his face.

"Tyler! What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save _you_." He said, putting his hands on her throbbing arms gently. She hugged him tightly – much to his surprise… and delight – and began to run. "Come on. We have to go."

"Not so fast!" Zahi thundered.

Both Tyler and Sophia whirled around to face him. Sophia instinctively put her hands over Tyler to try and shield him somehow.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"I have no idea." She replied.

Zahi flung shreds of sharp glass their way. Sophia lashed her arms at the glass, making them go the other way. Several pieces pierced Zahi's body and he screamed in pain. She looked at him with a shocked expression. Talk about perfect timing.

She looked around the small space behind the bar, trying to find something heavy enough. She spotted a pile of cylindrical metal barrels and sent them piling over Zahi's unconscious body. "Come on, you have to get me out of here! Quickly!"

Tyler followed her without protest and both of them sprinted towards his hummer and did not speak until they felt it was safe.

"What the hell happened back there?" he asked, taking a quick glance at her before turning his attention back to the road.

She sighed to herself. It was no use not telling him. He had seen everything.

"I have something to tell you, something immensely important."

"Well, I kind of figured that one out on my own."

-

**-Whew – well, I'm extremely sorry for not updating for so long. Real life has kept me away. Not to mention that inspiration has taken a leave. Anyway, I really hope everyone likes this chapter. I know it's been boring for the other chapters and I hope this is enough action for you guys. **

**I hope you all review!!! Reviews make me want to write and update more. –hint- -hint- **

**- deaselene**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So let me get this straight, your father's a witch who's hell bent on trying to kill four guys here in Ipswich," Tyler summarized from the comfort of Sophia's desk chair.

She nodded her head to confirm.

"But then you overheard him ordering Zahi – your psycho ex-boyfriend – to find them and got caught listening in so you ran away." He paused, waiting for her confirmation and continued when she nodded. "Then Zahi caught up to you and you escaped but not before he manages to yank out your memories." She nodded once more. "And that's how you managed to jump right in front of my hummer and almost gotten yourself killed."

"Co-rect," She quipped and received a look from him.

The entire evening had been spent up in Sophia's dorm room with Sophia explaining to Tyler about the new information on her life she had managed to gather within the expanse of days she had been in Ipswich. It took a while to explain everything – including her erratic powers and the fact that she had them – and surprisingly, Tyler hadn't looked as surprised or bewildered as she'd expected him to be. In fact, he was somewhat cool about the entire thing, but not entirely.

"And just a while ago, the dude tried to kill you until your powers managed to pull off a dues ex machina and save both of our lives." He was referring to Zahi, whom in his opinion, was a total whack job.

"Wow, big word." She continued to quip.

"There is absolutely nothing comedic about the situation, Corwin. You're starting to sound like Reid." He chastised, then paused, amazed at how similar he sounded to a certain raven-haired boy.

"And you're beginning to sound like Caleb." She took the words right out of his mouth.

"But it's true, and you know it." He reminded.

Sophia got up from her bed and shuffled through her closet for her pajamas. She could feel Tyler's eyes following her. "Been a rough night, might as well get comfortable." She looked at him and saw him blush under the orange light of her lamp. She hid her smile. He was such a boy.

When she'd found the clothes she'd been looking for, she made her way to the privacy of her comfort room and changed. She came out wearing a purple tank top and flannel bottoms that sagged down to her feet. She left her bra on, since Tyler was still in the vicinity.

"Maybe I should go," he offered, already beginning to stand up.

"No, no, no. We can still talk. I just changed because I didn't want to stink up my bed."

There was a long silence between both of them. Tyler fidgeted, probably deciding whether to stay or leave, or was it for another reason altogether?

Sophia quietly crawled onto her bed, curling up and hugging her knees against her headboard waiting for Tyler to spit whatever it was on his mind out. She didn't know why it was suddenly making him feel uncomfortable.

"Sophie, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Finally he spoke after what seemed like ages. She looked at him attentively and expectantly. He gulped and fidgeted some more under her stare.

"So, what are you going to do now?" It came out totally wrong. In fact, it wasn't what he'd wanted to come out from his mouth at all. "You know, now that Zahi knows you're here somewhere."

Stupid Simms, stupid!

--

"You went where because she did what, last night?" surprisingly, it was Reid who spoke.

The four of them were gathered around the blazing fire, underneath Gorman's shack, in their usual meeting place for important matters. "That's crazy talk, baby boy. In fact, that's seriously fucked up!"

He glanced at Caleb, who looked sullen and contemplative, waiting for his own opinion. He raised his brow when their supposed 'leader' said nothing. "What the hell did you run over that night?" It seemed as though he was the only one doing all the commenting. He let out a loud, exasperated sigh and made his way to his seat, giving up.

The very next evening after Tyler and Sophie's run-in with Zahi in the alleyway, Tyler had demanded for a meeting to be held. Everyone had fallen silent after he had explained things, except of course for Reid who seemed agitated and was getting more and more impatient with each minute his brothers had spent silent.

"Well? Aren't any of you going to say something?" Reid demanded. He eyed Caleb particularly, knowing full well that he too had something on his mind about the situation. Caleb returned his look and rubbed his face with his palms before speaking.

"Well, I doubt that she's anything like us. After all, The Power's only given to the first-born males in each bloodline." He was careful with his words. Albeit, also confused on the situation laid out before him.

"Unless she's actually a dude, I don't think she'll be any much of a threat to us." Pouge voiced out. Tyler, alone, stifled a grin at the comment. Reid simply glared at him warningly.

"She could be dangerous, though," Caleb mused. "She could just very well be acting out her memory-gap thing to get us to do something. Maybe even trap us."

"She doesn't look like it. I think she's genuine," All three boys looked questioningly at Tyler at his abrupt defense for the girl in question. "I just think that if she _was_ trying to get us to do something, don't you think she would have done it – whatever _it_ is - by now?"

"Don't get too attached, baby boy. Just because you've got the hots for her"

"Oh, fuck off, Reid." He shot back with a hint of venom in his tone which surprised Reid.

"Oh, so you finally decided to grow some, did you?"

"Shut up, both of you." Caleb chastised. "Look Tyler, we all shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. So, we should just keep an eye out for her."

The discussion continued on for a couple more minutes, with everyone voicing out each of their opinions and musings.

"Don't you think we should at least tell her she isn't alone in the 'powers department'?" Tyler asked.

"Well that's brilliant." Quipped Reid, whom received a look from Tyler.

"Reid's right, Tyler." Caleb agreed. "This _is_ a covenant of _silence_, after all."

"Well you didn't really go around pointing an accusing finger at her that evening she came." Tyler began to argue, much to the surprise of Caleb and the others.

"Well she didn't exactly mention that she had powers of her own, now did she?" It took several minutes to reply. Caleb was taken aback at Tyler's sudden bravery.

"That's only because she didn't remember a thing!" both of them were on their feet by now. Caleb folded his arms across his chest and frowned. Tyler stood his ground.

Tyler had thought of other things to say as well, but he forced them to the back of his mind, knowing when not to push his luck with Caleb. Right now, he was skimming on the edges. Unlike Reid, he knew when enough was enough.

"All I'm saying is that we can't afford to mouth off about our powers to just anyone. We –all _four_ of us- have to be fully sure that we can trust Sophie." He sat back down on the stone chair, "I'm not about to sacrifice everything we've been through and done together all these years just because one of us messed up." He sighed and the argument was over, just like that.

--

Back in the recesses of the chamber below the dark mansion, Zahi bowed before his master.

"Is she dead?" Constantine bellowed.

"Sire, I'm afraid she escaped." His breaths began to tremble silently. This was not good news.

"How difficult is it to catch a seventeen year-old girl?" he meant it more as an insult rather than a question.

"Although, I suppose I have trained her well," He amended. "She _is_ my daughter, after all."

"Never mind your incompetence; I have someone else on the job as well. At least _he's _intelligent enough to follow simple instructions."

Zahi bowed fully before his master, "I am deeply sorry, sire. It won't happen again."

"You're damn right it won't," he bellowed. "Not after what you're going to go through after I'm done with you."

The master ordered his slave to turn and face the stone walls of the chamber.

"Maybe this will straighten you up." And with his last word, a sharp, piercing pain ran across Zahi's back. Constantine lashed at him once more and he fell to the ground. He could feel his skin rip open with the searing pain inflicted upon him. He stifled his cries to the best of his abilities, refusing to show weakness but after a few more whips at his back, his voice tore through his throat. His screams echoed relentlessly throughout the dungeons as his master mercilessly whipped and tore at his back.

Zahi, weakened greatly by the torture, slumped to the floor as the last whip tore open a new, bloody scar across his back and made him black out. He was better off dead.

**Hey guys! I hope you guys review this one. My share of reviews have been short lately but the views are many :( I wish you guys would review, it really motivates me to write more and finish the story. Aren't you all just **_**DYING**_** to know who this new guy is? What will happen next? **

**- deaselene**


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